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Midway through the third quarter Friday night, Mojave was exactly where everyone thought it would be against Desert Pines.

The Rattlers trailed 18-6, looking destined to fall against a more established opponent for the umpteenth time in the past decade.

“The old Mojave would have given up,” coach Joe Delgado said. “The new Mojave stayed in the game, kept their heads up and went after it.”

Mojave went on to pull off what’s arguably the biggest upset of the high school football season so far in front of its home crowd. Mojave 29, Desert Pines 18.

“With the way we came out against Boulder City last week, we didn’t play up to our potential and we wanted to even things up,” Delgado said.

Delgado never felt Mojave was out of the game. After all, the Rattlers defense only gave up one touchdown.

Desert Pines’ other two scores came from a kickoff return to start the game and a missed field-goal return. After Desert Pines scored to go up 12, Mojave stalled and Delgado pulled off a trick.

He ran a fake to sophomore Ty Flanagan that converted. A couple of plays later, Delgado called another play for Flanagan, who took a screen 65 yards for a touchdown.

Senior defensive back Jalon Dean took an interception back for a touchdown for the go-ahead points, and sophomore quarterback Zack Arave scrambled into the end zone to add some insurance.

“This game was really important to us,” Delgado said.

Mojave

Mojave High School is Rattler Nation, but really it’s home to underdogs.

Minutes from the Nellis Air Force Base the school is nestled near Commerce Street and West Ann Road, an area littered with foreclosed homes.

The school is attended by many students who are underprivileged or at-risk. After Mojave failed to meet No Child Left Behind standards it became one of five Clark County Schools determined to do a 180.

In order to make the turnaround a reality, Mojave has implemented new faculty, extended the school day by 20 minutes and is geared towards boosting school spirit.

“The problem we have right now is that our children aren’t proud of their own school,” Mojave principal Antonio Rael explained an August interview. “When our children begin to take pride in our school, our community will follow.”

Year built:

1997

Mascot:

Rattle Snake

Principal (Year Hired):

Antonio Rael (2001)

School motto:

“Promoting Achievement, Creating Success”

Mission Statement:

“The Mission of the Mojave High School Community is to provide a safe learning environment that will empower students to develop excellence, pride, respect, and skills necessary for future success.”